The newly-released cannabis pain patch targets seemingly explainable pain associated with fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy. It is a new-found hope for patients because it is extremely difficult to treat these conditions.

Cannabis Offers Hope for Better Quality of Life

Nerve pain is a debilitating symptom of many illnesses, including diabetes, fibromyalgia, celiac disease and multiple sclerosis. Pain associated with these ailments drastically reduces quality of life.

Take fibromyalgia for example:

“The National Institutes of Health estimates that 5 million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia, a poorly understood disorder characterized by deep tissue pain, fatigue, headaches, depression, and lack of sleep. There is no known cure and the disorder is difficult to treat.” (source)

An online survey conducted the National Pain Foundation discovered that most fibromyalgia patients find existing prescription drugs ineffective. Some survey participants were willing to try cannabis. The graph below shows the results of the survey.

The survey clearly illustrates that cannabis is more effective than current FDA-approved drugs.

Cannabis Pain Patch Administers Therapeutic CBDs

A California company, Cannabis Science, developed the cannabis pain patch as a new treatment for nerve pain. The company has launched two formulations of the patch for fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy patients.

This new medication comes in a form of an adhesive patch that is placed on the skin. The patch delivers a specific dose of high potency cannabinoid (CBD) extract through the patient’s skin. CBDs then move into the bloodstream. Finally, the CBDs penetrate the central nervous system delivering pain relief.

“CBD, the second major cannabinoid in marijuana after THC, has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, but no psychoactive effects. However, recent research shows that CBD can be an effective treatment for many kinds of pain. Inflammatory pain has been treated effectively with CBD as well and some studies have shown that CBD may be more effective at treating inflammatory pain than traditional medication.” (source)

Research continues to mount evidence regarding the powerful therapeutic properties of cannabis. The developers of the cannabis pain patch hope this new medication is an option for patients that are not comfortable with the psychoactive side-effects of oral cannabis options.

The cannabis plants seems to fill the gap in treating a number of illnesses for which mainstream treatments remain unsatisfactory.

About the Author

Anna Hunt is writer, yoga instructor, mother of three, and lover of healthy food. She’s the founder of Awareness Junkie, an online community paving the way for better health and personal transformation. She’s also the co-editor at Waking Times, where she writes about optimal health and wellness. Anna spent 6 years in Costa Rica as a teacher of Hatha and therapeutic yoga. She now teaches at Asheville Yoga Center and is pursuing her Yoga Therapy certification. During her free time, you’ll find her on the mat or in the kitchen, creating new kid-friendly superfood recipes.